Kyoto, the Onmyou Agency headquarters, Shugakuin.
Hao Asakura, draped in a white cloak, stared expressionlessly at the collapsed pavilion before him, his wine-red hair fluttering in the wind.
The atmosphere was stifling.
Whether it was the recently returned Onmyou Agency director, Ariyo Tsuchimikado, or Yuiyui Gokadoin, who taught at the agency, or even some of the Divine Generals who happened to be present, all stood trembling at the side, not daring to even breathe loudly.
After all, today's incident was far too serious.
The Onmyou Agency headquarters, protected by countless techniques, had actually been infiltrated?!
Not just infiltrated, but one of its foundational assets—the two pureblood demons Hao Asakura had placed in the academy to lay the groundwork for the agency's Shamans—had gone missing.
This directly led to Hao Asakura, who had been watching the spectacle in Akihabara just moments ago, rushing back from Tokyo in a fury, only to glare silently at the ruins of the Onmyou Agency's buildings.
At this point, not only did the so-called Twelve Divine Generals—mere juniors—dare not speak, even Ariyo Tsuchimikado, the agency's highest-ranking official, didn't dare utter a word.
The blunder this time was simply too massive, and even Ariyo felt that their ancestor, Hao Asakura, was about to unleash his wrath.
Under the oppressive atmosphere, all members of the Onmyou Agency kept their heads down, not daring to make a sound, afraid that the slightest misstep might summon the Great Onmyoji who had once bathed Japan in blood over a decade ago.
Yet just as everyone in the Onmyou Agency was playing ostrich, Hao Asakura, after a long silence, suddenly laughed.
"What an interesting junior!"
His tone carried unmistakable admiration:
"Creating such a huge commotion in Tokyo, even attacking the Hidden Management Department's garrison, all just to lure me there, huh?"
He had been too busy enjoying the spectacle of Luo Shu and Lacus being challenged, only to have his own home raided. The irony of it all nearly made Hao lose his composure.
He had thought Luo Shu was the entertainment, but in the end, he had become the joke himself.
The turn of events had truly exceeded everyone's expectations.
That said, Hao felt he hadn't lost unfairly this time.
The attack on the Hidden Management Department by the Desire Faction of Truth Astronomy—while others might not have caught wind of it, he, with his lingering ties to the Patch Tribe, would inevitably hear about it.
And under such circumstances, Hao, already quite curious about Luo Shu and somewhat uncertain about the Hidden Management Department's strength, would undoubtedly head to Tokyo to observe.
And once Hao Asakura witnessed it, Echidna's goal would be achieved.
Though it was unclear where Echidna had obtained her information, compared to the Hidden Management Department's garrison with its 'numerous Demigods and abundance of powerhouses', the Onmyou Agency - which also housed pureblood demons but only had Hao Asakura as its sole 'Demigod' - was clearly more vulnerable to infiltration.
Now, the opponent's objective had evidently succeeded.
Perhaps news of Echidna's ascension to demigod status would arrive soon.
But this wasn't necessarily bad. Otherwise, as an Apostle, bullying a mere Hero Rank youngster would have been somewhat like the strong preying on the weak.
At this level, it was just right - consider it an investment.
With Truth Astronomy having just lost Aya Tokoyogi, the emergence of a new Demigod witch, plus that little thing who recently ascended by exploiting French protest marches, wouldn't leave Europe looking weakened.
Compared to the Hidden Management Department's unity of purpose, Hao Asakura preferred seeing a sky full of stars.
A world without competition was just stagnant water - it couldn't nurture the powerhouses needed to resist True Hell.
Holding this expectation, Hao didn't particularly mind losing a few pureblood demons.
Though pureblood demons were indeed hard to come by, they could at least cultivate one Demigod.
The only real annoyance was probably these disciples and grand-disciples.
Thinking this, Hao couldn't help sighing at the group before him:
"You lot... have truly tarnished my reputation..."
It wasn't his fearsome reputation that Hao felt had suffered, but rather his standing in educational circles - this was utterly humiliating.
A group of disciples he'd personally trained couldn't stop some self-taught witch, even if it was an ambush. At least show some results!
Unscathed retreat? What kind of joke is that?
"I'll be staying at Shugakuin for the next few months. Try not to give me more headaches."
With these words, Hao's figure vanished.
Meanwhile, the Onmyou Agency members exchanged uneasy glances.
Good news: Hao Asakura hadn't lost his temper.
Bad news: They wished he had!
This posture suggested they were in for months of Hao-style hell training.
Mother of mercy! This was worse than his anger!
He wouldn't stop until he'd pushed them through life-and-death situations ten times over.
Especially with that promising descendant of his cheap great-granddaughter around - he'd probably smile while turning up the intensity.
Instantly, the complexions of the Onmyou Agency members turned as black as burnt pot bottoms.
...
In stark contrast to the funeral-like atmosphere at the Onmyou Agency, things were quite cheerful on Lacus' side.
Even Emilia could tell Lacus was in excellent spirits.
"Half an hour ago, Kyoto's SDS branch reported that Echidna led the surviving witches in an attack on Shugakuin, the Onmyou Agency headquarters, and apparently stole something valuable."
"Considering Miss Aya's intelligence and the SDS informants' reports, we suspect Echidna took captive pureblood demons being held there."
"They appear to be one of the foundations Hao Asakura left for the Onmyou Agency, and also source material for the Shaman Classes' initiation."
At this point, Lacus couldn't help smiling, apparently imagining her cheap ancestor's currently foul expression.
Far away in Tokyo, Lacus was naturally unaware of her distant ancestor's thoughts, but she clearly understood Hao Asakura's earlier spectator behaviour. The mere thought of him getting his home raided because he'd been too busy enjoying their misfortune amused her greatly.
However, unlike Lacus's amusement, Emilia couldn't find any joy in the situation.
"So Echidna's entire plan was to lure away that Hao Asakura, attack the Onmyou Agency, steal the pureblood demon, and thus ascend..."
Emilia finally grasped Echidna's scheme, but precisely because she understood, she felt a headache coming on.
If a Hero Rank Echidna could cause this much trouble, what chaos would she unleash as a Demigod?
The mere prospect of facing that vixen in the future made Emilia's head throb.
Yet her headache lasted only moments before being interrupted by the conversation between Aya Tokoyogi and Lacus.
"Let's set Echidna aside for now. Provoking Hao Asakura means she'll have to lie low for a while to digest her gains. The real issue is Europe..."
Aya paused before asking, "Have you already launched the assault on the Desire Faction?"
Lacus smiled at the question. "Yes, thanks to the intelligence you provided. The rest of the Familia are currently busy remotely controlling IS units to besiege the Desire Faction's strongholds."
"How many will remain?" Aya frowned.
Lacus answered frankly, "Likely only the unit led by Echidna and Miss Maria's maternal clan."
"So the Desire Faction's leadership will fall to the Naruse faction?"
"That's the plan Luo Shu and I have in mind."
Hearing this exchange, Emilia stared blankly at Lacus and Aya, watching them discuss the matter with the casualness of asking 'Had lunch?' 'Yes.' until she finally couldn't help but blurt out:
"If the Desire Faction is gone, what am I supposed to do?"
At this, Aya arched an eyebrow before coolly replying:
"There are many issues with your condition that require the SDS facilities to resolve. If you've nowhere else to be, you might as well stay here."
Aya was well aware of Familia matters - Luo Shu hadn't bothered hiding them from her. However, compared to becoming Natsuki Minamiya's counterpart now, she'd rather wait until Natsuki caught up to her as a Demigod for a 'fair competition'.
And that man who kept boasting about wanting a witch sandwich conveniently served as Aya's excuse to postpone accepting a Familia contract.
But just because Aya wasn't accepting didn't mean she objected to Emilia doing so. Having finally gained a disciple willing to risk her life to save her, Aya found herself increasingly concerned about the girl's problems.
If her previous kindness toward Emilia had been purely to study the Satella within her, now Aya genuinely wanted to resolve Emilia's issues. Currently, joining the Familia and harnessing the Divine Pantheon's power might be the most straightforward solution for Emilia.
But how to make Emilia accept this... Aya had no idea.
'Perhaps Luo Shu could think of something? No, with his personality, Emilia would definitely get tricked.'
At this thought, Aya Tokoyogi couldn't help but glance at Lacus, narrowing her eyes slightly.
'Perhaps I should have Lacus introduce them? She must be in need of "allies" within the Familia...'
...
Just as Aya Tokoyogi was pondering how to resolve the issues surrounding Emilia.
The shallow continent of True Hell.
The Apostle of Life, Guro, stared at the charred ruins before him, deep in contemplation.